Opening the Door
by tterrafirma
Summary: When Honey's cousin walks through the Host Club's door, she never expected to find friendship on the other side. Now, she has to fight her own personality and abusive boyfriend so she can keep going back. [Eventual Mori/OC]
1. Chapter 1

The second term was in full swing when a dark haired girl wandered into the Host Club. She bore only a map in her hand and a backpack hanging from her shoulders. The uniform of another school gave the rich school's students something to question as she wandered through the campus, a confused look on her face. However, when she came to the staircase her cousin described as "grand," she smiled.

A quick glance upward confirmed her hopes. _Music Room #3 _was written in a fancy, swirling script. With a tug at the door handle, she was greeted with flower petals and seven male voices saying, "Welcome!"

The girl snickered to herself at the opulence and glanced at the array of boys. When she found the two she recognized, she bypassed the boy with dark hair and glasses that tried to acquire her name and reason for visit.

"Mitsukuni! Takashi!" Her voice was bright and her eyes smiled.

Mitsukuni- or Honey, as he generally preferred- leapt at her with a broad grin covering his face. "Mika-chan!"

Takashi, or Mori, smiled and ruffled her hair. He stood several imposing inches over both of the two embracing.

The boy with glasses pushed the thin lenses up the bridge of his nose and checked his watch. This girl had come quite a few minutes earlier than most any other customer they'd ever had. Why was she wearing a different uniform entirely, and why did she call the two oldest Hosts by their first names? She was too much of a mystery for his liking.

After Honey had disengaged from the girl, he grabbed her hand and began to lead her to the table he and where Mori served customers. The small boy began to give an overview of what these girls experienced in the club while the dark haired girl laughed at the tone of voice used.

A skinny blond with violet eyes approached the girl and took her hand in his, effectively interrupting Honey's explanation of Host life. "Hello, Princess," the blond said as he kissed her hand.

"Hello," the girl smiled, unaffected.

"W-well, welcome to Ouran's Host Club," the blond stuttered, not used to leaving a such small impression. He looked defeated.

"Thank you," the girl replied, looking over at the blond's crumpled form. "Tamaki Suoh, yes?" she asked, glancing back at Honey.

Honey nodded, his mouth full of cake. "Here, Mika-chan, try a bite. It's chocolate. I made sure they'd bought some before you came," he grinned. He neglected to mention that chocolate had always been an item on the menu.

In response, the girl opened her mouth to be fed the cake. Honey acted as if it were normal.

The blond- Tamaki- looked sideways at the exchange, and the boy with glasses pushed his spectacles up his nose once more, taking short notes on his clipboard.

Two red heads popped up behind the couch where the girl and Honey sat. "Who are you?" they asked simultaneously.

Laughing, the girl held a finger up. She was still chewing. When she had swallowed, she replied, "Mika Haninozuka."

Honey's smile grew wide as if in pride and Mori grinned at the Host's reactions- Tamaki dropped his jaw, the bespectacled boy scribbled furiously on his clipboard, the twins stared, and an effeminate looking boy poked his head through a door on the opposite wall.

"Did I hear a guest?" he asked, scratching his head. He thought he still had time to get ready. With all of the hullabaloo, though, he decided it was an early arrival and crossed the room. To his surprise, he found a short, dark haired girl with a red plaid skirt and white button up on. In place of a tie, this boy assumed, the girl tied a matching plaid bow loosely under her collar.

"Oh, Haruhi. Come here-" one red head began.

"-and listen to this," the other finished. Identical, mischievous looks covered both boys' faces.

Haruhi pushed between the two red heads and put his hands on his hips. "I thought the club was about to start," he began.

"Oh, am I interrupting? You told me to get here at 3, Mitsukuni," Mika frowned. "I don't want to be rude."

"Well, I wanted you all to myself, so I told you to come early," Honey shrugged in between bites of cake. "Mika-chan, that's Kyo-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan."

Mika chuckled. "Mitsukuni's told me quite a bit about all of you, so I just needed to connect names to faces."

Tamaki grabbed her hand again, this time on one knee. "Fair sister of Honey-senpai-"

"Sister? Is that why you were all shocked? Sorry, I'm his cousin."

Tamaki fell over from being ignored again. Kyoya scratched out the notes he made and began rewriting.

"His cousin?" Haruhi asked. "So you're related to Mori-senpai, too?"

Mika shook her head, laughing. "Nope, wrong again. My father and Mitsukuni's were brothers, but his is the one who married a Morinozuka- so in short, no."

The twins looked like they had a question on their mind when suddenly, the clock struck four.

The doors to the Host Club opened wide. In no time, the girls had flooded in en masse and the boys left to greet them. When Honey and Mori returned to their table, ready to introduce their customers to their guest, Mika was gone.

A note quietly explained that she didn't want to be a bother and left at the most obvious convenience.

* * *

It was after the last customer waved goodbye when Tamaki whimpered, "Haruhi, you're a girl..."

"Yeah?" the effeminate boy- err, girl- replied. "So?"

"Why did Mika-san ignore me?" Tamaki yelled, shaking Haruhi's shoulders.

"Well, Senpai, you might not be her type, or she might have a boyfriend." Haruhi suggested.

"Tamaki, you should spend less time worrying over girls who don't give you the time of day," Kyoya commented from his desk. "It's unbecoming."

Tamaki glared. "But she's Honey-senpai's cousin! It's important for her to like us!" He moved to lean on Kyoya's desk. "Plus, she's likely influential, if she's Haninozuka."

Kyoya's typing paused momentarily. When it resumed, he had a wicked smirk on his face. "I suppose making friends isn't a bad idea."

Tamaki sighed quietly that it took that kind of phrasing to engage his friend's worry.

"Don't worry about it," Mori assured them. He interpreted Tamaki's sigh as a response to Mika's indifference.

"Yeah, Mika-chan likes all kinds of different people!" Honey chimed in, continuing Mori's train of thought. However, the small blond's mood suddenly soured. "I wonder why she left so quickly..."

Mori frowned and shrugged.

"Didn't she leave a note?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah, but she always uses that excuse," Honey pouted.

"Maybe she believes it," Haruhi suggested, gathering her things. "She might just dislike intruding, too."

"Haruhi! Hold your tongue! Mika-san wasn't intruding," Tamaki exclaimed.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "No, I'm saying that she might have thought she was intruding."

Mori and Honey exchanged glances, leaving the shorter of the two sighing.

"Maybe she'll come back tomorrow and we can explain to her that she's not bothering us?" Haruhi smiled, trying to cheer up the two obviously upset boys.

"Won't work," Mori smiled.

"Mika-chan's stubborn," Honey grinned.

* * *

Mika held tightly to the straps of her backpack as she trudged home. The September air was cooling off as the afternoon wore on. With a small smile on her face, Mika laughed. "I've met the Host Club now. Maybe Mitsukuni will stop asking me to come?"

She soon approached her apartment complex and grabbed in her skirt's sewn-in pocket for the key. After fiddling with the faulty lock, she was able to enter. The only light in the apartment came from behind her, casting her shadow over the carpeted floor beyond.

"I'm home," she whispered to herself. Mika slung her backpack off her shoulders, flipped on a light, and removed her shoes.

As she quietly scribbled on her Calculus homework, she muttered, "Maybe I should call my brothers..."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hello! Welcome all newcomers to my Ouran fic. No idea about how long it will be or how often I'll update- that information will be divulged once I get into school myself. My crazy brain decided that writing a fic would go well with my senior year... We'll see. Hopefully you enjoyed yourself in this short chapter! (I really tried to make it longer, but I'm so stuck on short one-shots that my muse is all gone for length...) I like the idea of a narrator that grows as more information is collected, so that's why Haruhi was first called a boy._

_Please do leave a comment, it makes my heart happy and gives me the encouragement to continue! Plus, then I'll know how much you (dis)liked this chapter. See you next time!_


	2. Chapter 2

Mika rolled over and read the time on her phone. Seven twenty in the morning. She fluttered her eyes closed, but they opened wide after a second. "Crap, I'm running late," she grumbled, throwing the blankets off of her. After buttoning her shirt and tucking it under her skirt, she tied a lazy bow around her neck.

A quick grab at some breakfast and a snatching of her backpack later, she was out the door of the empty apartment.

She quickly returned to put her shoes on. Scrambling out the door again, she shot off onto the streets towards her school.

* * *

After school, Honey eyed the clock, a frown on his face. "Mika-chan's late," he sighed.

"Yeah," Mori replied.

"Did she say she'd come back?" Kyoya asked. His mind was mainly focused on claiming payment for the cake the girl ate yesterday.

"No, but we told her about the club last year and she's only made it here once," Honey sighed. "In two terms, we'll have graduated!"

"Why did you tell her about the club?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah, couldn't you just call her to keep in touch?" Kaoru continued.

"She doesn't like talking on the phone," Honey frowned.

The clock struck four and several girls popped their heads in the door. While most of the hosts were greeting their customers as per usual, Honey and Mori sat at separate tables to accommodate for the influx of girls requesting them.

"Mori-senpai, I heard a girl came to see you yesterday," one began, nervously inching towards the tall boy.

"How unfair! Does she think she can have you all to herself?" another asked, her fists balled tightly.

"Mori-senpai, did you send her away?" a third questioned as she sipped her tea quietly.

"No," he shook his head.

"Why not?" the second girl demanded. She stood quickly to her feet and her arms folded as she leaned closer to Mori.

"She's nice," he shrugged.

The first and third girls exchanged glances. "Mori-senpai's nice to everyone, hm?" the first giggled.

"Hmph!" the third bounded off, her yellow dress impeding her speed as she disappeared.

Kyoya stood up in the middle of the room. "Could all of our guests please allow others to be seen today?" It was the standard question that told everyone fifteen minutes had gone by, but Honey's guests didn't want to leave.

"Honey-senpai, if you let another girl stay with you all by herself, let us, too!" one cried out.

Honey shook his head. "No can do, unfortunately. Come back and see me tomorrow, though! Then we can all eat cake together again!"

The girls sobbed lightly as they retreated from the room.

As they left, another wave of girls entered the Music Room. One was dressed in a different uniform and carried a backpack rather than a briefcase. She slipped through the crowd and snuck over to Mori's table.

"I'm moving back to-" he began, only seeing a shadow while looking down at the tea tray. When he turned and caught Mika's gaze, however, he smiled. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," she grinned in return. "I, uh, realized that I didn't get to say goodbye yesterday. So goodbye," she waved and turned around.

Mori caught her hand. "You don't have to," he suggested.

Looking back at him, she half laughed. "I need to do my homework, though."

"Do it here, then."

Mika glanced down at the table Mori was clearing off for her. "Takashi..." she whispered.

His gaze turned back to her.

"Thanks."

A small smile played out on his face.

* * *

Soon, it was time for Kyoya to again ask the girls to leave. While the boys waved goodbye to their customers, Kyoya glanced around the room. Just as his glance shifted to Mori's table, often unused, Mika looked up.

Kyoya lifted his eyebrows as if to ask, "So you showed up?"

Mika waved and went back to working.

However, Kyoya had to acquire payment for the cake. He began walking over to Mori's table, but abruptly stopped when Mika's cellphone went off.

Her eyes had widened noticeably for just a moment, then she blinked out the worry. As her hands dug in her backpack for the phone, Kyoya saw the nearly imperceptible tremor in her hands.

Mori had, too. He looked sternly at his friend, telling him without words to keep mum on the subject.

Kyoya cocked his head to the side, but acquiesced.

"H-hello?" Mika's voice shook.

A low, masculine voice rumbled from the other end. Kyoya couldn't make out anything, but he noticed how it effected the girl.

"Yeah, of c-course. I'll, uh, I'll be there. Yeah, lemme just, um. Okay. Yeah, I'll-" she sighed, ending the call after the boy on the other side hung up.

Mori reached out to touch her shoulder, but she had already scrambled her things together.

"Thanks for letting me stay here for a bit," she smiled.

Kyoya's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Without knowing her very well, he could still tell this smile was different than yesterday's.

Nodding a goodbye at both boys, Mika started out of the room until Honey noticed her.

"Mika-chan! You came back!" he called, running to hug her.

Her shoulders drooped and she smiled again, her eyes looking tired. "Of course I did. I had to say goodbye, after all."

"You'll be back, right?" Mori asked.

When Mika nodded, she did so tentatively. "Only in a little while."

"How long is a little while?" Hikaru asked from across the room. The guests had all left just a few minutes before.

Mika closed her eyes tightly. "Just, just a little while," she promised, balling her fists. "But I need to go now." Before anyone else could ask her what she needed to do so badly, she had run out of the Host Club.

Honey frowned up at Mori. "She smelled like smoke again today."

"Yeah," Mori agreed.

"Smoke?" Haruhi questioned. Her eyebrows perked up. "Does she smoke?"

"She's against it, but her boyfriend isn't," Honey explained.

"Boyfriend!" Tamaki grinned wildly. "So that's why she rejected me!"

"Senpai," Kaoru shook his head. "Not now."

"What's her boyfriend like, Honey-senpai?" Haruhi asked. "Nice?"

"If her boyfriend was the mystery caller," Kyoya began, "then I'd wager that he's not."

"It was him," Mori sighed.

Haruhi frowned. "So what do we do?"

"We can't," Honey shrugged. "She won't admit he's a bad guy."

* * *

Mika stopped running momentarily to catch her breath. "Darn school shoes make it hard to run," she panted.

"Where were you?" a low voice asks. Its owner was tall, dirty blond, and green eyed.

Her eyes opened wide and she stood straighter. "I was visiting my cousin," she smiled, trying to keep herself calm.

A hand flew next to her head and hit the brick wall behind her. "So, babe, did you miss me? I didn't see you in math today."

"I told you, Itsuki-"

"It's Itsu-kun, babe."

"-Itsu-kun, I got transferred into a higher math class."

"So you didn't want to see me, huh?" he asked, placing his other hand on the other side of Mika's head. They were looking each other in the eyes now. As he leaned closer, he whispered, "Don't forget about our date tomorrow, okay, babe?" He pulled back and knocked a cigarette out of the box. "Got a lighter?"

Mika's eyes shifted away. "I got in trouble for having one on me, so they confiscated it."

Itsuki laughed loud enough to fill the street. "Oh, babe, such a goody-goody. Glad I still have one." His other pocket ended up producing a small, orange lighter. He flicked at the plastic and a spark lit up the cigarette. With a crooked smile on his face, he took a drag.

"Itsu-kun, can I go now? I need to fix dinner for-"

His face flashed in front of Mika's again. "Babe," he grinned, blowing smoke in her face, "I think you should stop seeing your cousin. He left something in your backpack you don't want me to see, didn't he? That's why you acted like you didn't have a lighter, right?"

Mika's face flooded with anger, but she bit it back. "No, Itsu-kun. Here," she sighed, opening the bag, "take a look for yourself."

When he had sated himself- her backpack only held a math book, a few pieces of paper, her pencil case, and phone- he smiled. With the cigarette in one hand, he drew her head close with his other. A quick kiss was planted on her hair and he waved her off. "See you tomorrow, babe."

Mika closed her eyes and balled her fists, praying that she'd hear his footsteps fall farther and farther away. When her prayers were answered, she zipped up her bag and took off towards her house.

* * *

The door shut behind Mika and she fell to the ground. Her uniform reeked of smoke- something she knew one of the Hosts had to have noticed- and her feet ached from running all over town. Though she couldn't keep this up anymore, she had nowhere to turn.

Her hands enveloped her face as the tears streamed down her face. The small glass window in the door shined light only past where she sat. Mika's frame shook with spasms as she cried, her hands slowly wrapping themselves around her knees. The sobs came in waves, but ultimately, she stopped crying.

"I've got too much to do," she told herself, wiping the tears from her red, splotchy face. "I can't cry about Itsuki, no matter how much I want to."

She plodded into her apartment, threw off her shoes, and passed a Polaroid of her and a boy with dirty blond hair and green eyes. The white space underneath the picture had "Itsu-kun and I" written in an eight-year-old's handwriting.

Mika sighed as she dragged out her Calculus. "To find critical points, you..." she droned on, repeating the teacher's instruction to keep her focus on the subject at hand.

* * *

**A/N:**_Hello again! I'm not in school, so don't expect every day updates all the time, but I will try to update pretty frequently. Thank you lovelies for commenting- it means so much! So what do you think of the chapter? It was interesting to write, that's for sure. See you next time!_


	3. Chapter 3

Mika woke up early the next morning- or, rather, she didn't get much sleep. Her focus shifted over to her phone's lit up screen that proudly proclaimed she had another hour until she had to wake up. After heaving a sigh, she decided to get up. No use sitting around.

A quick shower woke her senses as the hot water trickled down into the drain. When she looked at herself through the fogged mirror, she sighed again. "I look awful."

Her phone said that she still had forty-five minutes until she needed to be up, so Mika pulled out her curling iron. "Maybe if I look nice, Itsuki will let me break up with him," she joked, tugging at her uncooperative hair.

Something in the front of the apartment crashed into her bookcase. Mika's eyes darted to the locked bathroom door. With anxiety in her heart, she unplugged the curling iron and took it with her as she stalked into the kitchen. After realizing it was just her backpack that fell from the chair, she released her held breath.

Giggling at her weapon of choice- hot curling iron- and her appearance- half curled hair and untucked shirt- she returned to the bathroom.

* * *

When Mika arrived at school fifteen minutes early, she peeked around corners for Itsuki. Not finding him in front or behind her, the dark haired girl dashed off to the library. Dark circles under her eyes made an acquaintance or two raise their eyebrows at her, but she shrugged them off.

The librarian waved cordially as Mika entered through the glass doors. She was a regular visitor to this oft-forgotten room, and the librarian appreciated that. The woman's tightly-wound bun seemed to hang a little lower on her head that morning, though, so Mika considered asking what was wrong.

Until, of course, she realized she could be asked the same thing. Rather than chance having to give an explanation of her appearance and boyfriend's... questionable behavior, Mika plodded along to her usual seat.

Today, someone tall sat in the spot next to hers.

Mika's eyes widened in disbelief as she realized the tan boy in another school's uniform was the Host she had visited with yesterday afternoon.

"Ta-Takashi?"

He lifted his gaze to meet hers and waved her over to him.

Sitting down where she customarily sat, Mika continued looking on in disbelief. "Takashi, why are you here? Hasn't school started for you? Didn't Mitsukuni look at you weird for not riding with him?"

"I have ten minutes if I run," he shrugged.

"But then your clothes will wrinkle and-" Mika narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her nose. "How did you know I visited the library in the first place?"

"Your friends are easily persuaded."

"You seduced my classmates?"

"Tamaki seduces. Not me."

Mika sighed heavily, leaning her face on the table. "Why're you here?"

"To make sure you're okay." He smiled faintly, ruffled her hair, and waved as her walked away.

His cousin's cousin blew her bangs out of her face, exasperation mixing with another feeling she wasn't quite sure she wanted.

* * *

It was after Calculus when Mika realized she hadn't seen Itsuki yet that day. A sense of hope and dred simultaneously filled her stomach, and she nearly stepped out of her loose left shoe while looking in every which way for the boy she had fallen in love with.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she was satisfied Itsuki wasn't around. Her mind asked her over and over again in that moment: if she loved Itsuki, why was she afraid of him? Trying to ignore the most popular thought in her brain, Mika walked to lunch in silence.

* * *

At Ouran, even the cafeteria was a time to display opulence. Whether it was the decorations that adorned the walls or the extravagance of the meals prepared, the students had nothing but the best.

Unless, of course, they decided to bring their own meals from home.

Haruhi sat in between the twins at an "emergency Host Club meeting" that Honey declared necessary. She frowned, eating small bites of her lunch, as the blond boy described what his cousin had done that morning.

"Isn't that stalking?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked simultaneously.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You could've hired someone to do that, Senpai."

Mori shrugged. "I don't think she would've liked that."

"And she liked you following her around?" Hikaru laughed.

Mori rolled a bite of food around on his plate and wouldn't meet anyone's gaze.

"Takashi and I know her better than you," Honey frowned. "She doesn't trust people much."

"Then why'd she date someone scary?" Haruhi mumbled mostly to herself.

"If she's dating an abusive man, why did she turn me down?" Tamaki sobbed, holding his head to the table.

Kyoya smacked his friend sharply. "Stop acting like a child. Someone's in danger and you're moping like a lost puppy."

Tamaki glanced up at the bespectacled boy beside him. "Kyoya, we can't change her heart. If she truly loves that boy, only him doing the unthinkable will convince her he's a bad man."

Haruhi's eyes widened. "But we can't leave her with a bad boyfriend until he-"

Honey sighed loudly and all eyes turned to him. "Tama-chan's right, unfortunately. Unless you've got a better idea, Takashi."

Mori's ears turned a darker shade as he continued playing with his food. When he shook his head, it was barely a movement.

A voice over the loud speaker told the students that lunch was ending in five minutes. The Hosts all exchanged worried glances, but split up to be on time to their afternoon classes.

* * *

Mika stuffed her hands in her pockets as she walked to her apartment. Itsuki hadn't been at school that day, and it worried her. They were supposed to go on a date- their first since their second year of high school- and she was nervous. Whether because of the chilly fall air or her apprehension over being alone with her boyfriend, Mika found herself shivering violently as she tried to turn the key.

Leaves fluttered in front of her face and the wind whipped up just as she opened the door. A quick backward glance revealed storm clouds rolling in the distance. It would rain soon. Without an obvious reason, Mika felt scared to enter her apartment. The weather begged her to, of course, but her trepidation made her hand cling to the door handle.

A voice called from inside. Even though she couldn't make out the words, she knew the source. He sounded different than the day before, however, and her worry melted away.

"Itsuki, I'm coming in now. Why weren't you at school?"

The tall blond ran to her side and spun her around in a fierce hug. "Ill tell you if you make me tea, babe. How was school?"

"That'll cost you a kiss," Mika joked.

A small grin grew on Itsuki's face and he leaned in to close the distance between he and his girlfriend.

Mika clapped her hands together and wandered off to the kitchen.

Just a few moments later, as she had the kettle on the stove, Mika felt arms snake around her waist. "I love you," Itsuki said almost in a sad whisper.

"I love you, too," Mika replied as cheerily as she could. Turning to face him, she bit her lip. "Don't remember yesterday, I guess?"

Itsuki scratched his head and frowned. "No," he sighed. "Did I hurt you?" His eyes grew wide as they roved over whatever he could see of her.

"Not this time," Mika tried to encourage him as she turned back to the now boiling kettle. "You asked me out on a date. I guess this counts. Come on, sit down and tell me why you weren't at school, okay?"

* * *

Mori found himself glancing at the clock instead of interacting with the customers. Today, he was back at Honey's table and their synchronization was off. The girls could tell.

He was knocked out of his worry when a hand touched his shoulder. As he found himself wanting it to be another girl's, he swallowed. "Sorry," he mumbled, finally paying attention. "What did you say?"

The girl blushed at having seen his distracted face. "Uh, Mori-senpai, why're you so sad looking?"

"Takashi's having girl troubles," Honey joked.

Mori frowned.

"He can't decide between all of you!" Honey lied, keeping his peripheral vision on his clock-watching cousin. Mori was having girl problems, but so was Honey, technically. The girl they both cared about- potentially in different ways, Honey realized- was in trouble. She just wouldn't admit it.

* * *

"I can help you finish making dinner once my headache goes away," Itsuki grumbled.

Mika's already over-active mind went into panic mode. Headaches were the first trigger for Itsuki's shift. If he started to complain about nausea... She shuddered.

"Babe," he started, "what's wrong? You won't look at me anymore," he complained. "I love you," he whimpered between the throbs of his blood rushing through his head at breakneck pace.

"And I love you," Mika muttered frantically. She was draining the pasta when it dawned on her. "_You _don't like Italian, do you?"

Itsuki looked up at her sheepishly, one eye closed from the pain. "Not especially." When he saw her frame deflate, he quickly added, "But I love your cooking, Mimi."

Mika scrunched up her nose. "You haven't called me that in a long time," she smiled as she dished out two portions.

A gentle smile played out on Itsuki's face and a lovesick look drifted into his eyes.

The girl across the table looked on in horror as his face turned pale and his eyes clenched tightly. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he moaned.

"I, uh, I can call a cab," she blinked.

He glanced at her curiously, unaware that he would not be him for much longer. "But I haven't even eaten yet?" Itsuki's stomach lurched. "I'm not sure if I want to, though. I'll be back. Your bathroom's this way, right?"

Mika nodded swiftly and at his disappearance, nearly broke down. "Why now? Why, why when we're alone? Why, why, why?" Her body shook. When she heard a toilet flush, she breathed deeply and hoped for the best.

She did not get the best. The look in Itsuki's eyes had transformed from ill to dark. A smirk turned his mouth's corner when he saw the plates. "Ah, babe, you made my favorite." He pranced over to her, lifted her chin, and kissed her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Mika replied, panicky.

Dinner was quiet- painfully so to the poor girl expecting something awful- but things picked up afterwards.

When Mika took the empty dishes to the sink, Itsuki wrapped his arms around her middle like before. However, instead of sweet whispers, she got a painful nip at her neck.

"Itsuki," she tensed.

"It's Itsu-kun," he laughed against her skin. "Or do I have to make you remember it?"

Mika's fears swallowed her words in her mouth. Please, don't do anything I'll have to work to hide, she prayed.

When he backed off to lean against the counter next to her, she sighed in relief.

"Itsu-kun, can you move so I can load the dishwasher?"

"It'll cost you a kiss," he smiled slyly.

A fake smile grew on Mika's face as she stood on tiptoes to prod his moving.

"So, I didn't see you in math today," he joked, grabbing at her wrist as she closed the dishwasher door.

"You ditched school," Mika explained as calmly as possible. She divided her attention between his eyes and her pulsing wrist.

The grip on her wrist tightened. "Did you transfer into my class? Can't have you around other guys, you know." Itsuki's jaw was clenched as much as his vice grip on Mika.

She paused, cursing herself for forgetting. "Not yet, but I can tomorrow."

A small bite at her ear later, he whispered, "You better."

* * *

**A/N: **_Ahh, so did anyone see that coming? Do you understand why Mika still loves Itsuki now? I didn't expect to write an abusive relationship or dissociative identity in a story, but here we are! What do y'all think so far? Honestly, I'm kinda bummed because I've only gotten 250~ views. If you guys like this story, I'd really appreciate you spreading it around! As always, you can tell me what you think and I'll be elated! See you next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

It had been two weeks since the dark haired girl walked through the Host Club doors, and even the less sympathetic members were beginning to feel worried over her disappearance. Honey and Mori, though, were seen exchanging hopeful glances every time the wide doors opened only to look crestfallen when a girl in a yellow dress skittered in.

While Tamaki was discussing the next costume for the Hosts with Kyoya, the other five were focused on their customers as much as they could be. However, the two sitting at a table full of cake and tea found their minds distracted.

Fourteen unanswered phone calls had elapsed since Mika had been by, and Honey was hoping he didn't have to make it fifteen.

Mori glanced over at his cousin and read the worry beneath the brimming smile plastered to the short blond's face. A small sigh escaped the tall boy's lips and he quietly excused himself from the table. Though the girls whined, he knew he couldn't let this continue any longer. He had to find Mika for Honey's happiness, and, to his chagrin, more for his own. Mori evaded the yellow dressed girls' sad stares as he threw the door open.

He collided with someone significantly shorter than him. With his usually quick reflexes, he sidestepped to let her pass. The girl smiled weakly up at him.

"Did you need to leave, Takashi? I'd like to talk to you," she mumbled, looking up at him.

Mori's first thought was that she was paler than he remembered, and his second was that she had poor skills with make-up. Faint traces of purple and blue bruises littered her neck and wrists from where concealer couldn't cover them adequately. He frowned. "I was going out to look for you," he replied. His hand pulled the door closed behind him, and now the two of them stood in the hall alone.

Mika's gaze fell to the ground. "Sorry. Mitsukuni always freaks out if he sees me like this." After readjusting her red plaid jacket- a winter addition to her uniform still unnecessary in the October weather- the rest of her marks were covered.

The tall boy breathed in deeply. "It scares me, too," he whispered lowly.

Though Mika's eyes widened and her face nearly turned crimson, she pushed back whatever creeping feeling she had as she tucked her hair behind her ear. He was just being nice, she assured herself. He's just cares about Mitsukuni, that's all. "I'm sorry," she shook.

"Why did you need to see me?" Mori asked, remembering her first words to him in two weeks.

"I've been writing," the dark haired girl glowed, finally meeting his eyes again.

While her face was weary, Mori couldn't help but notice that she looked too happy to lecture. "Can I see?"

She shook her head. "I only have a little bit written."

Silence reigned between the two for another moment.

Mori finally suggested, "Why don't you come in?"

"I don't want to interrupt," Mika flustered, waving her hands in protest.

Mori smiled and, putting his hand gently on the small of her back, led her into Music Room #3. Though she protested, he knew she wanted to see Honey. A small part of him wished she came to see him.

* * *

When the Club door opened wide, the Hosts didn't take much notice. As it was nearing time for the guests to leave, the occasional younger sibling might wander in to drag their sisters away. This time, however, it was the dark haired girl's small frame that peeked around the door.

Mori's leading hand felt welcome on her back and her mind was simultaneously telling her to stay still and to run away. She listened to the first voice.

The tall boy behind her was confused. Leaning down, he whispered, "Why are we hiding?"

Mika's skin jumped. "I, I wasn't hiding! I'm just... I'm going in now," she stuttered, all confidence leaving her. While she was berating herself for allowing him to affect her so much, she paced into the room to take a seat at Mori's table.

Mori, incidentally, was confused as to what he did. Surely he reminded her of her boyfriend since he was pushing her around- that was the cause of her sudden shy furor, right? He sighed and weaved through the crowd of girls preparing to leave. As he stood several inches above all of their heads, he could see the hurried path of the girl he found himself flummoxed over.

She sat impatiently, eyes closed and ankles crossed, across from one Kyoya Ootori.

He leaned in, one hand resting on his chin, the other holding a piece of paper in front of Mika.

Mori sighed.

The bespectacled boy smirked upwards at his fellow Host. "I'm not making her pay for anything," he assured Mori.

Mika opened one eye tentatively. "I can't agree to your terms, Kyoya-san."

He leaned closer. "Why not? I just ask that you-"

"If she doesn't agree, she doesn't agree." Mori scowled.

Mika's gaze shifted away.

"If you knew the conditions, Mori-senpai, you'd find them agreeable."

"He wants me here at least once a week," Mika explained, finally looking at her cousin's cousin.

Honey heard her voice and left his cluttered table. He ran at her with a wide grin on his face and a deep worry in his heart. "Mika-chan!" he called happily.

She smiled weakly at him and moved past Mori to hug her cousin. "Hi, Mitsukuni."

"Why weren't you here for so long?" Honey scolded her, his voice still cheery when stern.

"School and my job got hectic."

"Job?" Haruhi called. She was relieved when she heard Mika's voice- everyone had been stressed over how this affected Honey.

"Yeah. I'm a book store clerk. Nothing important," Mika tried to laugh.

"It probably is to the people in the store," Haruhi pointed out. In the girl's absence, her cousin had taken to describe her with sadness in his eyes. Haruhi learned that Mika appreciated books and learning over nearly anything. If they really did have that in common, Haruhi hoped to use that to keep Mika around.

Mika laughed this time, clutching to her backpack strap with one hand and fidgeting her jacket lower on her arm with the other.

Kyoya kept a sharp eye on the movements the girl made, not sure what to think. Obviously by her body language she was uncomfortable, but with what? "Please, sit," he offered her. He glanced quickly over at Haruhi. "We'll be getting changed out of these costumes," he motioned to the princely robes he wore, "but Haruhi can spare the time, I'm sure?"

The girl in question nodded- she couldn't change with the boys, anyway. "Do you wanna sit here or at my table?"

Mika shrugged. "I don't really care."

"Mine, then?" Haruhi asked, leading her newest customer to the couches surrounding her table. Sitting down, she noticed Mika wince when maneuvering her backpack-laden arms. "Do you have a lot of books?"

"Oh, no, just my Calculus work and some English," Mika replied. She squinted. "You're a girl, aren't you?"

Haruhi's eyes opened wide and the dressing room door was thrown open, the twins running out wildly. Their ties were half tied and their jackets unbuttoned, but they still jumped in front of Haruhi.

"Let's play a game," Hikaru smiled.

"Which one of us is Hikaru?" Kaoru grinned wickedly.

The crossdressing girl peeked around the two boys' shoulders. "Mika-san's only seen you two three times. It's not too fair to ask her now."

The twins glared back at their classmate. While they were trying to keep secrets hidden, Haruhi was trying to apply logic to a seemingly illogical situation.

Mika, however, just laughed it off. "You're..." she pointed to Kaoru, "You're not Hikaru. You look quieter." With a small smile, she looked at Hikaru. "So I guess that means you're him?"

The twins sneered. "Poor reasoning," Hikaru started.

"But we'll take it since you're Honey-senpai's cousin," Kaoru finished.

"And what do you mean, 'quieter?'" Hikaru fumed, leaning into Mika's face.

The grin on Mika's face changed into a bubbling laugh. "Mitsukuni said you had a temper, Hikaru-san. Seems he wasn't wrong."

When Mika's laugh rang through the room, the three present Hosts' worry melted away. They all exchanged relieved glances and sighs nearly escaped their lips.

"Yeah, Hikaru's always been angry," Kaoru teased a moment later, a small glimmer of mischief in his eye. "But we keep him."

With folded arms, Hikaru turned to face Mika. "We'll keep you, too, so keep coming back. You haven't even seen our 'Brotherly Love' act properly."

Just as the four other Hosts walked into the main room, they heard Mika say, "Yeah, I might have to start visiting after all."

Mori's heart skipped a beat, but he tried to dismiss it as a result of getting dressed too quickly. It didn't work.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hi there! Back in school now, so I think I can safely say I'll update once a week if not more. It depends on my muse and work load. For those of you who wondered, Itsuki (who didn't show up in this chapter) has dissociative identity disorder- what was formerly know as multiple personality disorder. In the small bit of research I did, when the identities swap, symptoms appear, so I just worked with what little I knew._

_ Anyway, what do you think about this change? Do you think Mika will be able to hide her abuse from everyone? If they find out, how will they all react? Will Itsuki discover she's going to the Host Club? Keep on reading, and until then, tell me what you think! We're up to 500 views, but that's still low. Tell your friends if you liked this, and comment to encourage me to keep on writing! See you next time!_


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